The Foundation of the United States Government The United States government was formed on the basis of one thing: the science of man. Many different psychological and political theories are based on the assumption that there is a real science of the human being. The ideas and theories of Hobbes, Locke, Roseau, and Montesque have all contributed to the formation and constraint of our governmental structure, among others. In fact, they all agreed on one principle; man in the pure state of nature can be analyzed and theorized. Everyone's conclusions were very different, some even directly contradictory. But despite opposition in beliefs, the result of their collective writings was the government we live under today. Thomas Hobbes derived his theories by concluding that man in and of himself was evil. Furthermore, she felt that if left without governing authority, life would be "nasty, brutish, and short." A direct consequence of man's wickedness is the theory that self-preservation is the most imperative component of life. We must defend this right at all costs and do everything necessary to preserve it. Since every man in the state of nature can rely on a theory, a state of mental equanimity is created. If one man bases his life on self-preservation, so will the next man. A society in this perpetual condition creates a state of war. One man against all others, all equal in ability, regardless of size or intelligence, due to circumstances and willpower that can always level the playing field. The state of nature will result in a state of war. In addition to being mean, brutal, and short, he also depicts the state of war as lonely and constantly threatening. Although this condition... half the paper... will be structured. However, if the idea that the existence of a science of man can be questioned or is false, where does that leave the theories that have been built upon it? Without the “science of man,” all theories utilizing it are themselves called into question and cannot feasibly be supported or be considered valid reasons for building the very government we live in. Perhaps "man" as a whole cannot actually be concluded into a theory. Perhaps the individualism of humans is simply too unique to draw a single conclusion. If so, is our government on false foundations? Our country is young; our democracy is still a child of the world. “Why the government?” it is answered only on the basis of the validity of the "science of man". Without this assumption we could never propose such a conclusion. Bibliography: Readings by John Locke and Thomas Hobbes